Electric socket



1937; a F. H. TRAv'Rs 2,091,773

ELECTRIC, SOCKET Filed NOV. 20. 1935 Inventor: Fred H. 'Tr'aver's,

His ttorney.

Patented Aug. 31, 1937 UNITED STATES ELECTRIC sooKE'r.

Fred H. Travers, Stratford, Conn., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application November 20, 1935, Serial No. 50,665

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to electric sockets of the type adapted for connecting the ground and antenna wires to a radio receiving set.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved construction and arrangement in a socket of this type, and for a consideration of what I believe to be novel and my invention attention is directed to the following description and the claims appended thereto.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a top plan View of a socket embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the socket; and Fig. 3 is an exploded view of the socket.

Referring to the drawing, the socket comprises a receptacle having a housing I of insulating material provided with prong receiving openings 2 in the top wall thereof. The bottom of the housing is open and within the housing are suitable arrangements for supporting contacts 3 in line with the prong receiving openings 2. Each of the 2 side walls 4 of the housing is provided with an opening 5 through which connections may be made to the terminals 6 which are integral with the contacts 3. The lower end of the housing I is closed by plates 1 which fit within the edges of the housing and rest against suitable shoulders (not shown) adjacent the edges of the housing. The upper and lower plates 7 are made of insulating material, and the intermediate plate I is made of steel. These plates therefore form a fire resisting bottom Wall for the housing I.

Below the housing I is a housing 8 which is adapted to contain devices, such as a resistance 9 and a condenser III, which are to be connected to one of the contacts 3. The housing 8, which is made of molded insulating material, is open at the top and is arranged with the edges of its top walls against the lower edges of the housing I. The resistor and condenser are connected in series and one of the side walls of the housing 8 is provided with a notch II through which extends a conductor I2 connected to the free end of condenser III. From the free end of the resistance 9 extends a conductor I3 which passes through openings I4 in the plates 1 and is connected to one of the terminals 6. With this arrangement,

the resistance 9 and condenser Ill and the conductors connected thereto are enclosed within the walls of the housings l and 8.

The housing 8 is secured to the housing I by means of screws I5 which extend through bosses IS in the housing 8 and through openings II in the plates 1. The upper ends of the screws I5 are threaded into openings l8 in ears I9 which 55 are used to mount the socket in a conventional outlet box. With this arrangement, the screws I 5 secure the housings I and 8 together and also secure the ears I9 to the top of the receptacle housing. The inner end of the ears I9 fit within recesses 20 in the top wall of the housing I and are thereby prevented from turning. The ears are provided with threaded openings 2| by means of which a cover plate may be attached to the receptacle. Depressions 22 are provided beneath the openings 2i into which extend the ends of the screws which attach the cover plate.

After the resistor and condenser, or other devices, have been. placed in the housing 8 and the connections made between the devices and the terminals Ii the socket may be assembled by means of the screws I5 and thereafter may be mounted as a unit in the usual outlet box. With this construction, the devices within the housing 8 and the conductors leading therefrom to the terminals 6 are concealed'within the walls of the housing. Also, the devices within the housing 8 are further protected by the plates I. Since the terminals 6 are accessible from the outside of the socket through the openings 5 formed in the side walls of the housing I, the antenna and ground leads may be attached thereto without disassembling the socket.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a socket, a receptacle having a housing 0 of insulating material provided with prong receiving openings in the top and being open. at the bottom, contacts carried within said housing, a plate covering the bottom of said housing, a housing adapted to contain a device to be connected to one of said contacts, said housing being open at the top and arranged at the bottom of said receptacle housing with its open end adjacent and closed by said plate, ears for mounting said receptacle in an outlet box, and screws extending through said housings for securing said ears to said receptacle housing and for securing said housings together, and an opening in said plate for the passage of a conductor connecting said device and contact whereby the conductor is concealed Within the walls of said housings.

2. In a socket, a receptacle having a housing of insulating material provided with prong receiving openings in the top, contacts carried within said housing, terminals connected to said contacts for connecting conductors thereto, said 0 terminals being accessible through the walls of said housing, a plate covering the bottom of said housing, a housing adapted to contain a device to be connected to one of said contacts, said CTI accessible from the exterior of said housing, a plate covering the bottom of said housing, a housing adapted to contain a. device to be connected to one of said contacts, said housing being open at the top and arranged with its open end adjacent and closed by said plate, means for securing said housings together, and an opening in said plate for the passage of a conductor connecting said device and contact whereby the conductor is concealed within the walls of said 10 housings.

FRED H. TRAVERS. 

